Description:
Traditional "Champenois" pressing. Only Cuvées  (first pressing) are retained

-Alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel vats under temperature control between 16 and 20°C-Malolactic fermentation done On yeast for 3 years deep in the famous "Crayères" where the temperature stays
at around 10 and 11°C

Gold, straw gold, light bubbles, nose of dried biscuits, chocolate, soft in the mouth, rich, well-structured.

Origin:
When approaching Vertus, a village nestling in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, where the Duval-Leroy family home has existed since 1859, we fly over part of the 170 hectares vineyard run by this family business. This independent supply, on a scale rarely found in Champagne, provides one quarter of the company¹s annual grape requirement. A major asset, it guarantees the quality and consistency of Duval-Leroy champagne.
 
The delicate balance of three grape varieties give the wine all of its characteristics, but because we are in the Côte de Blancs, Chardonnay predominates. The vines, the sun and the rain decide each year on the quality of the grapes. Man humbly takes part in this symbiosis, but his involvement is essential to ensure that the harvest reveals all of its potential....

At Duval-Leroy, more than 35 people manage the vineyard all year round, giving each vine the attention and loving care that it needs. For the harvest, 350 grape pickers join the permanent staff for the major event in the wine grower¹s calendar. The in-house presses receive the grapes as they are picked along with those purchased from other growers.

Food Parings
To bring out the best in this wine, try a saddle of young rabbit with new vegetables, a double veal chop or, more unexpectedly, soft cheeses such as Brie or Camembert or perhaps Comté or Reblochon.

Cellar Hints
Keep your sparkling wines in the coolest part of your cellar and don't get terribly ambitious as to length of ageing. We will generally use whatever Champagne we cellar in 5 years or less.